


Temper Management

by symbioticdeath



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Blood Drinking, F/M, Light Dom/sub
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-14 13:42:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29668152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/symbioticdeath/pseuds/symbioticdeath
Summary: He rarely asked for this. And later, in the darkest hours before morning, Elena would allow herself to wonder what made him want it this time.
Relationships: Elena Gilbert/Elijah Mikaelson
Comments: 7
Kudos: 27





	Temper Management

**Author's Note:**

> Elskan means Darling in Icelandic, which I argue the Mikaelsons are since it's the closest inhabitable Viking settlement near America historically (there's a Whole Thing with Greenland, but this is not the place to get into that).

The apartment was lit by candlelight.

Elena set her bag down on the hutch in the foyer. It was quiet, but a comfortable sort of silence that was rare in her life. She straightened her back, head held high as she walked through the apartment towards the opulent bedroom she spent a month designing and choosing things for after moving in with Elijah. 

There was something to say about taking Old World charm then adding it to Modern Indulgence.

He rarely asked for this. And later, in the darkest hours before morning, Elena would allow herself to wonder what made him want it this time.

“Elijah,” she said softly. He looked up from where he sat on the bed’s edge, perfectly dressed in a bespoke suit complete with cufflinks and tie pin in plain silver. The Original held a box made of dark wood in his hands.

She knew what was in that box because she’d made it at a Parisian couture atelier the summer after graduating med school.

He nodded, the candlelight playing off the angles of his face. It always made her feel like she was seeing a man who lived permanently between then and now. Not quite forgotten by time as it marched forward and granted him instead a heavy burden of memory which Elijah carried without complaint.

Until nights like this one came around.

Elena opened the box.

A collar in soft, dark leather waited for her. Her vampiric sight let her see the ivy she’d etched into the leather as it wove its way around the surface. Rather than silver, she chose rose gold for the buckle and accents, preferring how the metal set off Elijah’s eyes.

She waited after putting the box aside.

“Please, Elena.”

With his permission given, Elena carefully put the collar around his neck. She buckled it to be comfortable loose since tonight it was needed. Other times she went tighter when the play was to be rougher.

Tonight he needed to be eased.

“If you follow my instructions perfectly, I will reward you.” Elena said. She kept her voice firm but not unkind. “Stand.”

He stood smoothly, eyes never leaving hers.

She knelt, slipping off his shoes. They were perfectly shined and set them aside. She slowly stood, stopping to unbuckle his belt. The suits he wore acted as his armor. It was something Elena realized while he’d walked around her room in Mystic Falls, touching things and pretending he wasn’t tense under expensive linen and silk.

“Your arms,” Elena ordered. He brought them up and she unbuttoned the suit cuffs, leaving the shirt under it untouched. It didn’t matter if the cuffs were undone to take the jacket off, but it did symbolize a different kind of release. “Take the jacket off.”

He obeyed, letting it drop to the floor. Any other time Elijah would’ve been angry even at the thought of his jacket on the floor, now he just watched her. She went to his tie next, loosening it, and tossing the pin into the box, where it landed with a muffled metallic click.

She traced his hand with her fingers, down the wrist, and removed the cufflink then unbuttoned the sleeve. Elena loved his hands, even when they were covered in blood. They held both the ability to give great violence and gentleness in them.

“Such good hands, Elskan,” Elena said. When Elijah was like this, a name in his mother tongue allowed for him to find temporary peace. She touched his cheek, savoring how he leaned into her, “You’re following so well.”

When she removed the other cufflink, it joined the tie pin in the box. She stood on her toes to take his tie off, dropping it to the side. Elijah’s hands caught her waist to steady her and on her way down, she kissed him softly in thanks.

He let go when Elena started on his shirt buttons. Another time, she would’ve torn it off him to get to the skin beneath.

“When we’re done here, you’re going to draw me a bath. Understood?” Elena asked. She ran her nails over his chest lightly. 

“Yes.”

The shirt joined the jacket.

He trembled not due to the cold, but for how exposed he was here with her. Elena brought him into her arms tightly, rocking them in place slightly. Once he calmed, she kissed him again, slowly and sweetly.

This was new for both of them. The weight of Elijah’s trust centered Elena, yet there was something intoxicating about having a powerful being who loved her beyond measure under her hand. He stilled after exhaling, pliable in her hands once again.

“There we are, Elskan.” Elena stepped back. He hovered between wanting to follow her and standing still until her next order. She waited until he let his hands fall to his side before sliding his pants down his hips. The sock garters she unbuttoned because he preferred the non-elastic kind, “So fashionable and precise, it’s something I like about you. I’ve noticed you’ve started to dress to match me in the morning.”

He kept to the color palettes she used or pieces that complimented what she chose to wear. Elijah looked away then back, like he was waiting for her to punish him for it.

“I think it’s wonderful. It lets anyone looking know you’re mine.” Elena kissed his shoulder, “Go start my bath then wait.”

Elijah disappeared into the bathroom and she heard the water run. She stripped down at a human pace, taking the time to center herself while she put her hair up. She held his shirt to her nose, inhaling deeply the citrusy smell of his cologne before putting it on. She could find the scent of him anywhere. In fact, it’d worked in their favor several times.

The water stopped.

She found him next to the tub. They found it an abandoned chalet in France. Elijah spent more money than she cared to think about to restore and import it, all because she fell in love with the Art Deco accents and size.

He blinked at the sight of her in his shirt, stopping himself from reaching out. Elena left it on the tiles, holding a hand up. He took it, keeping her steady as she got into the tub. The green water that gave off the sweet scent of elderberries swirled around her legs.

“Get in, Elskan,” Elena crooks her finger as she speaks. He obeyed, settling stiffly between her legs until she pulled him against her chest. “Relax.”

The next part came as a challenge to Elijah. Centuries of being on guard, of Klaus’ endless schemes, and the general Mikaelson Drama made him unable to just Be. To Elijah, the next fight was always seconds away. Now she wanted him to forget time existed, the world narrowing down to just them in the moment.

His weight was comforting. She maneuvered him until his head rested on her shoulder, thanking her past self for paying extra for the atelier’s witch to spell the collar against water and wear. 

Elena held him then began to hum. She began with his favorite lullaby from when he was a child. Klaus taught her all the songs of their mortal lives in an effort to teach her to pronounce Old Icelandic words correctly. Over the years she’d gotten better, but only Elijah became charmed with how she spoke a few words with a “bloody American accent.”

Eventually Elena sang quietly, running her hands over his skin, and through his hair as she did. 

Slowly, Elijah’s body went lax, relying on her to keep his head above water. He turned his face to rest against her neck, lips on her pulse. Even as a vampire, it was there, and as the years passed, it would eventually slow to near silence. 

Not stopping her song, Elena slipped two fingers under the collar to leverage Elijah to kiss him, which he gave back absently. It made her smile because it meant he finally deserved his reward.

“You can claim your reward, Elskan.” Elena whispered, knowing he heard her in the space he’d sunk into.

After leaving Mystic Falls, Elena only allowed Elijah to bite her. Due to years of being bitten mostly against her will only made her associate it with nightmarish pain. She realized after the first time his bite was painless, making her wonder if it was because Elijah was so old.

Practice made permanent after all and he practiced well as it turned out.

His fangs slid into her neck.

She ignored the want that came over her, hot and sweet, after he sucked down a few mouthfuls, focusing on her humming. Elijah sank back down into the water, idly licking at the blood remaining after the wound closed. Elena let a sigh escape before kissing his temple.

He hummed along for a song then kissed her palm. His lips went down her wrist and her arm until he reached the crook of her elbow. She felt fang points on her skin. Elijah rarely indulged himself she thought as she pressed up against them, feeling the skin open. He bit down harder, still not enough to hurt.

Elena knew her blood tasted different than other vampires’. Like Klaus’ it healed many vampire maladies and like the First Original, Elena gave it out sparingly. Usually in moments when it benefitted her greatly.

Elijah growled low as if he sensed her thoughts.

“Elskan.” Elena placed a firm hand on his throat, squeezing just enough that he stopped. Her blood dispersed in the water as she brought him back to lay on her. “None of that.”

As if to apologize, Elijah tilted his head to the side. She accepted, keeping her hand on his throat, she kissed his skin then sank her fangs in. His blood tasted like a lightning storm, its flavor spreading over her tongue.

“Please, Elena.” Elijah whispered and not being one to deny him, she complied.

She tightened her arm around his chest, sucking harder on the bite. His body bowed up slightly at the sensation, hands gripping the tub’s edge. Elena took her fill, kissing the healing mark then him.

They stayed until the water was cold. This time Elena got out first, holding her hand out to help Elijah, who stumbled slightly as if his legs forgot how to work. She dried him off, helped him dress into a soft shirt and pajama pants before leading him to their bed . He nestled down into her side, face buried in her pillow like he was trying to disappear into it.

She used her vampire speed to dress in her own pajamas and to get a blood bag from the kitchen.

The collar came off and she left it on the bedside table.

“Hey,” Elena said softly. She helped him drink the blood bag, “How are we?”

“Tired, but good.” Elijah replied after finishing the blood bag. He pulled her down with him, holding her close, “I love you, Elena.”

“I love you too, Elijah. Get some sleep, I’ll be here when you wake up,” Elena promised. He was still in a vulnerable state and she didn’t want to drop him out of it quickly. Sleep let him come back naturally. 

She held vigil as the candles burned low then out. Tomorrow she’d clean the wax, but for now Elena waited for dawn, and tried not to wonder what made him ask this time.


End file.
